Unmaking icons and remaking history are the subjects of the first solo show by Josh Azzarella, currently on display at DCKT Contemporary’s new Lower East Side gallery.

Appropriating some of the most famous images in the history of photojournalism and video reportage, Azzarella recontextualizes these images and forces viewers to confront their power by removing their historical significance.

In his re-working of the Jules Naudet video footage from 9/11 of American Airlines Flight 11, tragedy becomes a near-miss as his footage shows the plane flying harmlessly by the still standing towers. Another series of images based on the photographic evidence of torture at Abu Ghraib, shows Lynndie England and her fellow Army Reservists in their grotesque banality, with all traces of their victims erased.

The work, ultimately, is less about the image, than the importance of the historical moment. By removing the icon, Azzarella places the emphasis fully on the reality that the image re-presents.

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